


Eyes to the Soul

by SesshomaruFreak, Spunky0ne



Category: Bleach
Genre: M/M, Mpreg, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:08:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27124282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SesshomaruFreak/pseuds/SesshomaruFreak, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spunky0ne/pseuds/Spunky0ne
Summary: After Byakuya’s cousin, Tetsuya, is nearly slain while carrying the Kuchiki and Shiba heirs, Byakuya and Ichigo swear to bring the perpetrator to justice, but when suspicion for the crime falls on Shuuhei Hisagi’s zanpakuto spirit, all hell breaks loose…
Relationships: Byakuya/Ichigo, Kisuke/Renji, Shuuhei/Kazeshini, Uryuu/Tetsuya
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	Eyes to the Soul

**Author's Note:**

> (Thank you, Sesh, my most awesome friend and collaborator...or, should I say partner in crime?)

Shuuhei Hisagi walked quietly through the assigned corridor of the precipice world, his footsteps and those of his zanpakuto spirit echoing softly. The two reached the exit and flash stepped down into a large park that ran along the river and Shuuhei gave his demon companion a little nod.

“The disturbance came from somewhere around here,” he informed Kazeshini, “I want you to go and have a look over there while I search in this direction. We’ll meet back here in ten minutes, whether we find anything or not.”

“Got it,” his zanpakuto spirit growled.

“And Kazeshini,” the shinigami continued in a lower, slightly piqued tone, “don’t cause any trouble like last time. You know that there have been trust issues between the shinigamis and zanpakuto spirits ever since Muramasa interfered with all of you.”

“You think I don’t know that?” the wind spirit asked with an edge of sarcasm, “The bastards at Central 46 gave execution orders for two more last week. Called’em too destructive and just took’em. Gave’em a death sentence, just like that.”

The lieutenant let out a weary sigh and looked down at the sword he wore on his hip.

“A lot of shinigamis were killed by their own sword spirits, or by the spirits of their comrades’ swords.”

“As I recall, more sword spirits were killed in the rebellion than shinigamis,” Kazeshini argued, “When shingiamis died, their sword spirits, whether they were guilty of anything or not, were hunted down and killed.”

Shuuhei met the sword spirit’s furious, glowing eyes directly where they burned in the darkness.

“I know. I didn’t like the decision either. I thought it was barbaric, but at the time, no one seemed able to stop the sword spirits from becoming dangerously unbalanced and deranged after the deaths of their masters. There was no known way to save them. Eventually, Kisuke Urahara found a method, but many, many sword spirits were killed before that.”

“I guess both sides have got reason not to trust each other,” the demon spirit admitted grudgingly, “but it doesn’t mean I’m gonna stand by and watch as a fellow sword spirit gets bullied by some bastard shinigami.”

“You watch your language,” Shuuhei snapped, “and remember that the bastard was part of a powerful noble family. All someone like that would have to do is to convince a few Central 46 sages that you were destructive and…”

“I’d be the next one getting slaughtered by that bunch of stuffy assholes,” the sword spirit spat, “Not that they’d actually do their own dirty work.”

Shuuhei let out another ragged sigh and indicated the direction he’d given his sword spirit before.

“Go on, then…and stay out of trouble.”

“Yes, master,” Kazeshini answered with the usual slight sneer.

He melted into the brush, leaving Shuuhei looking after him and shaking his head.

“ _Baka_ ,” he complained, his annoyance softening into genuine concern, “you’re too reckless. One of these days…”

He turned in the opposite direction and flash stepped away.

~X~

Within a comfortably furnished guest room in the living area of Kisuke Urahara’s candy shop, a very pregnant Tetsuya Kuchiki opened the window to let in fresh air from outside. His pretty sapphire eyes looked out at the misty looking moon and he breathed in deeply.

 _It’s just the kind of night that would usually find Arashi and me out under the stars,_ he thought, feeling a sad little twinge at how he missed his absent mount, _Unfortunately, as a Breeder Male, pregnancy places unusual demands on my body, especially in the last weeks. Arashi’s soul, being a sort of extension of my own, was called back into my inner world to keep it stable until the children come._

_Oh, but I feel so restless!_

_I know better than to stray too far from Kisuke’s shop while so close to delivery, so even though I would love to be out there in the coolness and shadow, I will remain here, restless though I am._

He wondered briefly if a shower would help him wind down. It seemed that being surrounded in the element most related to his currently muted powers had a soothing effect, so he removed his yukata, baring himself, then he headed into the guest bathroom and indulged slowly, closing his eyes and enjoying the steamy air and the splash of the warm water. By the time he finished, he was finally feeling sleepy. He left the shower and dried off, then returned to the bedroom and wrapped his yukata around himself before climbing into the soft, comfortable bed.

He was nearly asleep when he felt a strange little flicker of unfamiliar reiatsu.

Blinking, he sat up in the bed and looked around. Nothing seemed to be wrong in his surroundings, and he still heard the voices of his cousin, his cousin’s husband and that of the shopkeeper. He tried closing his eyes again, but before he could drop off, the little flicker of strange reiatsu brushed against him, bringing him all of the way awake.

_I know I felt something._

He left the bed and walked to the open window. Outside, he saw the barest flicker of a shadow in a group of nearby trees.

 _Tetsuya Kuchiki…_ called a soft, whispering voice.

Tetsuya squinted and stared into the darkness.

_Arashi uses this form of communication, but he is in my inner world, and this voice sounds different._

He was keenly aware of the need to be cautious, but as he started to turn towards the bedroom door to summon help, a soft command issued from just outside the window.

“Ensnare…”

Small blue flames erupted in the pupils of Tetsuya’s spellbound eyes and he ceased all resistance, obeying the other’s command to follow. He climbed out of the window, assisted by the cloaked other, then the two melted into the trees outside the shop and disappeared.

~X~

In the shop’s kitchen, Kisuke poured a round of drinks, then sat down again at the table opposite a slightly drunk but contented Byakuya and his smiling husband,

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you take more than one drink before,” Ichigo chuckled, “You sure you’ll be all right, there?”

“I’m fide…f-fine,” Byakuya managed, shaking his head at the verbal faltering, “I do not often get away from Kuchiki Manor, nor do I usually have such reason to celebrate.”

“It’s pretty damned amazing,” Ichigo said proudly, “I hope Tetsuya knows how much this means to us. I mean, I’ve told him, but how do you say thank you for something like this? We wouldn’t have been allowed to marry, being a leader and an heir.”

“Because most male or female same sex couples can’t reproduce,” Kisuke added.

“But Tetsuya is special in being a rare descendant of the noble Breeder Males,” Byakuya went on, “His ability to gather and mature our mingled reiatsu will give our clans the heirs they require so that the burden of heirs is seen to.”

“Then,” Ichigo chuckled, curling his arm around his inebriated husband, “we can spend more time enjoying ourselves instead of having to constantly deal with their meddling and bullshit.”

He exchanged a glance with an amused looking Kisuke, and the two men laughed while the shopkeeper topped off their glasses again.

“Sorry Ichigo,” Kisuke said ruefully, “I think the Kuchiki and Shiba elders will still find plenty of ways to interfere with you.”

“Assholes,” the ginger-haired man complained, smirking as he sipped from his glass, “They seriously need to find something better to do with their time.”

“But they would not know what to do with themselves if they were not looking down their very large noses at others,” Byakuya said in an uncharacteristically irreverent tone.

Ichigo giggled and nuzzled into his husband’s shoulder, kissing him on a soft earlobe.

“Better not let those old farts on our councils hear you gettin’ all cheeky like that,” he snickered, “We don’t wanna give them any more reasons to be a pain in the ass.”

He tilted his head to meet Byakuya’s affectionate gaze and the two men indulged in a passionate, open-mouthed kiss that made Kisuke laugh and left a cute flush on the Kuchiki leader’s lovely face and throat.

“I’ve got the most beautiful shinigami in Soul Society sleeping in my bed every night, and I’m not about to give that up.”

“All right, you two,” Kisuke snorted, “you know it’s not fair for you to tease me like that when Renji’s not around so I don’t have someone to kiss too.”

“Someone call my name?” the red-haired lieutenant called from the kitchen doorway.

“Hey, Renj,” Ichigo greeted his friend.

“Glad you’re back,” Kisuke said, leaving the other two men at the table to meet the squad six lieutenant for a sloppy, sake flavored kiss.

“Mmm, no fair, you got started without me!” Renji objected around Kisuke’s plundering tongue, “and you broke out the good stuff.”

He extracted himself from the shopkeeper’s amorous clutches and smiled at his captain. Byakuya cleared his throat, straightening only slightly.

“Renji, what halves you to report?”

The redhead bit at his lips to avoid laughing aloud.

“Captain, have these two been giving you too much alcohol while I wasn’t around? Want me to beat’em up a little for you?”

“Pfft!” Ichigo snorted, expelling little droplets of his drink, “I’ll kick your ass first.”

“Yeah, right,” the redhead countered as he and Kisuke sat down and the shopkeeper poured Renji a drink, “Just don’t you dishonor my captain or I’ll rip you a new one.”

“Easy there, Renji,” Kisuke said, patting his face and snuggling up to the taller man’s shoulder, “I need you in one piece for tonight. Got some makin’ up for lost time to do.”

“Oh,” Renji answered, giving the drunk shopkeeper a closer look, “You missed me that much, eh? Well, let me get a drink or two into me and I’ll get right to making it up to you.”

“Do you mind giving me your report before you descend into your evening of…ah…your _more private festivities_?”

“You could just say before they start breaking the bed and putting holes in the walls with their wild sex,” Ichigo suggested, smirking.

“I could not,” Byakuya said primly, “Your report, Abarai.”

“Okay,” Renji laughed, “My report. The quincies we sensed in Hueco Mundo appear to have been intimidated by our maneuver, and they’ve slinked back into the shadows, where they belong. Grimmjow and Harribel are monitoring the situation and will keep us apprised.”

“Good, we don’t want there to be any more surprises,” Kisuke sighed, “We had enough of those in the war.”

“Yes,” Byakuya said more quietly, “we did. I’m glad we’ve achieved more peaceful times.”

“I’m sure we all wanna keep it that way,” the shopkeeper concluded.

“Long as the quincies stay quiet, I’m guessing…”

Renji broke off mid-sentence, and the men turned to look as Tessai burst into the room, wearing a deadly serious expression.

“Don’t tell me the quincies are already back to making trouble,” Kisuke complained.

“No boss, it’s not quincies,” Tessai exclaimed worriedly, “It’s Tetsu-chan!”

Instantly, Byakuya, Ichigo and Renji stiffened in reaction.

“What’s wrong with Tetsuya?” Kisuke asked, his grey eyes narrowing, “From the tone of your voice, I’m guessing it’s nothing good.”

“Boss, I went to check on Tetsu-chan like I do every so often to make sure he’s comfortable. But he wasn’t in his room.”

“What?” Ichigo shouted, jumping to his feet.

“Where is he?” Byakuya demanded.

Tessai shook his head in obvious distress.

“I’ve looked everywhere and I haven’t been able to find or sense him.”

“I cannot sense him either!” Byakuya said incredulously.

“C’mon,” Ichigo said, grabbing his husband’s hand, “Byakuya, we’ve gotta find him!”

~X~

Uryuu Ishida sat alone on a large boulder at the edge of the Karakura Town River, his blue eyes focused on the water in front of him, but his mind working intently.

_I don’t know what to do._

_The war is over and Ywach is dead. We’ve made peace for now with the shinigamis and everyone’s moving forward. I just don’t know which way to decide._

_I don’t want to be the new quincy king. I don’t even think the surviving quincies want another king. I want to just abdicate and let the noble descendants who survived Ywach’s tyranny rebuild the society…but it usually happens that if there is no leader, someone comes out of the woodwork and takes that position. Ywach was an outsider. At first, no one took him seriously. But as he moved through the realm of the shadows, killing the noble lords, one by one, pillaging their lands and enslaving their sons and daughters, there was no one person and no collective group that could oppose him._

_We can’t afford to let that happen again…but what can I do?_

_He closed his eyes, grimacing as he felt the little throbbing of the power that the dead king had ceded to him with his fall. The feel of it made him shiver. Even dead, Ywach still seemed able to send chills running up and down the younger quincy’s spine._

_I have the power, of course, but I don’t trust it._

_I won’t trust anything associated with him…ever._

_But if I don’t, then…_

Uryuu’s breath caught and he jumped to his feet, backing into the trees as he sensed some kind of heavy disturbance in the reiatsu around him, then he heard a pained cry and the sound of something splashing down into the water.

“What the hell?” he hissed, his eyes narrowing into slits and peering upstream.

He spotted a flash of what looked like pale flesh, streaked with what had to be blood. The body in the water swept toward him, carried by the current. Uryuu moved forward cautiously, noting the approach of the body, but also watching the shore in the direction from which it had come. He thought he might have seen a movement in the shadows of some trees, but then, the person in the water reached the place where he waited, and he waded out into the current to reach it. He took hold of the thin blue yukata the person wore, noting immediately that it was a pregnant woman he had rescued.

Slipping his arms around her, he dug in with his feet and dragged her onto the shore. Keeping his back to the water and his senses alert, he leaned over the woman, brushing back the mess of pretty Raven hairs from her face.

Then, the pale features revealed something that made his blink and stare in shock.

_This is no woman…it’s definitely a man…and not a human, a shinigami._

_I’ve only heard of one male shinigami who could carry a baby…Ichigo and Byakuya Kuchiki’s surrogate!_

_This man, then…he’s Tetsuya Kuchiki!_

Uryuu worked quickly to staunch the flow of blood from the heavy gashes in the unconscious man’s shoulder and chest on one side, and across his back. Tetsuya neither moved nor made a sound as the quincy hurried to help him, but it was clear after a few tense minutes that no normal effort he made was going to be enough.

_He’s fading too quickly for me to even get him to Kisuke or to Orihime! But I have to do something. I can’t just sit here and let him and Ichigo’s children die._

His mind raced as he tried to think of something, anything that would stop the inevitable loss of their lives.

Then, he flinched and gritted his teeth as he felt the flickers of the one power left that could save him.

_No…no, I don’t want to have to use ~his~ power._

_But, if I don’t, Tetsuya and the babies will die!_

He gazed down at the angelic face of the dying shinigami in front of him, his blood turning to ice in his veins.

_What am I gonna do?_

~X~

Shuuhei frowned, eyes scanning the area for any sign of his zanpakuto. They were supposed to meet, seven and a half minutes ago, right here. So where the hell...?

He shook his head and sighed. Kazeshini was a handful on the best of days. With another sigh, he resigned himself to waiting.

Shuuhei's thoughts began to wander a bit, circling his demonic sword spirit. Volatile and vicious, Kazeshini was a fearsome, aggressive being. He wasn't sure how fate had paired them together, but there was no getting out of it.

But the thing was, the phantom couldn't be all bad. Shuuhei had heard about the baby. And his zanpakuto still carried a vicious scar on his back from protecting the helpless infant. A long gray line edged with the same scarlet that outlined his partner's features.

Shuuhei took no notice of the smile curving his lips as he turned over the concept of his demon having a soft side. He'd be willing to bet Kazeshini had fought it every step of the way.

He raised his head, his frown returning as he realized the sword spirit still wasn't in sight.

Just then, he heard a swift flash step, and Renji appeared next to him, slightly out of breath.

"Hey, Shuu. Listen, have you seen or sensed Tetsuya? Captain Kuchiki's cousin?"

Shuuhei tilted his head.

"That nice guy with the blue eyes? No, I haven't. Why, is he missing?"

Renji nodded, and Shuuhei sighed.

"I don't suppose you've seen Kazeshini around?"

Renji shook his head, echoing his sigh.

"What the hell, man? Everybody just decide to go for a late night stroll? Guy's pregnant and can't stay still."

Shuuhei's eyes widened.

"Huh? He's...pregnant?"

Renji nodded, then shrugged.

"Yeah he's a breeder male. Taicho explained it to me. Apparently, after the first war with the quincies, they made it so some of the guys in the noble class could have kids. A lot of women and children died in the war, and the nobles were dying out. Anyway, Tetsuya is a descendant of one of those breeder males, and he's carrying the heirs to the Shiba and Kuchiki clans for Ichigo and Taicho."

Shuuhei whistled low and shook his head.

"Hope he's ok, man."

"Thanks. Listen, I'm gonna go look for Tetsuya. Good luck with Kazeshini."

The redhead vanished, and Shuuhei considered his options.

Kazeshini was now 15 minutes late.

Shuuhei gripped his sword's hilt and stepped forward, only for a rustling in the bushes to stop him. He started to draw his weapon, when Kazeshini staggered out, panting and dragging the twin scythes behind him.

Without a thought, Shuuhei was already moving forward, barely catching the manifested spirit as he collapsed.

"Kazeshini? Kazeshini, what's wrong?"

Wide eyes searching for the cause of this, he saw streaks of blood covering the phantom.

"Kazeshini!"


End file.
